The Enchanted IslandBy: Fannie Louise Apjohn

First Page:

[Frontispiece: "With these on you will see everything as it really is,
no matter how it may look to other people."]

THE ENCHANTED ISLAND

BY

FANNIE LOUISE APJOHN

NEW YORK

E. P. DUTTON & COMPANY

681 FIFTH AVENUE

Copyright 1919

By E. P. DUTTON & COMPANY

All rights reserved

ILLUSTRATIONS

"With these on you will see everything as it
really is, no matter how it may look to other
people" . . . Frontispiece

The toucan . . . seized the basket by the handle
and flew away

Up sprang the lid, and there behold! were the
wonderful big pellets

He was trying to induce her to make an effort to
pass the dead tigers

THE ENCHANTED ISLAND

CHAPTER I

Once upon a time many years ago there lay five islands in the South
Pacific ocean where the weather was always fine.

Four of them were set in a kind of square, but the fifth, which was
much smaller than any of the others, stood in the center of the group
so that it was nearer to each island than they were to each other, for
they were all so many miles apart that they could not see each other's
shores.

The little island in the middle was not inhabited, but was surrounded
by very dangerous reefs. It was called the Island of Despair, though
nobody seemed to know how it got its name, and was supposed to be
haunted.

It had not always been there, and that was another reason why it was
looked upon as an uncanny place, for all the grandmothers and
grandfathers could remember when there had been nothing but the great
sea between the four islands, and then suddenly one morning a ship had
come upon the small island and nearly wrecked itself on the great rocks
about it. After that of course it was put on all the charts, but even
so, many a ship had since gone on the rocks in a storm and been lost.

Each of the four big islands was a separate kingdom, and had nothing to
do with the others. The largest of all was called the Island of Sunne
because it was the nicest and had the finest weather. It never rained
there in the day time, but only at night, which you must admit was very
convenient.

However, every place has disadvantages, and instead of mothers telling
their children that it was not fine enough to go for a picnic they
often said it was too fine, which meant that the very bright sunshine
and blue sky would be apt to dazzle them, and then they would have to
sit in a dark room every day for a week before they would be able to
see anything again.

The King of Sunne was a good, kind man, who never made war with any of
the other kingdoms, and was quite satisfied with all that he had. The
Queen was very nice too, and gave a great deal of money to the poor, so
it was not to be wondered at that the country was very prosperous, and
the people thought their rulers the best in the world.

The King and Queen had only one son, who was called Daimur. When
Prince Daimur was sixteen years of age his father gave him the most
beautiful horse he could find in the kingdom, and the Prince was so
delighted with his present that he used to ride all day long in the
forests, sometimes with his servants, and sometimes alone.

One day, as he was returning from a long ride, he passed a small hut
deep in a wood, which he did not remember ever having seen there
before. He dismounted, and going up to the door asked for a drink of
water.

An old man opened the door and asked him to come in. He did so, and
the old man got him a pitcher of water from the well, but did not offer
him anything to eat. The Prince wondered at this, as it was nearly
noontime, and the people of the forest were extremely hospitable.

"You are wondering, my dear young Prince," said he, "why I have no
dinner cooking. It is because I am so poor that I have nothing to eat
in the house, and I do not know what is to become of me."

Thereupon the Prince pulled out of his knapsack a package of meat, some
bread and butter, cakes, and a big piece of fine cheese.

"Poor old man," he cried, "take this food, which I will not need, and I
will send you some more to morrow... Continue reading book >>